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Skipping Parties

Skipping school. It can be as harmless as catching a movie while the rest of class is stuck in an assembly. But some District teenagers are skipping school to attend all-day parties that sometimes become dangerous. These so-called skipping parties are often organized by members of Latino gangs and center-around heavy drinking, getting high, and gang recruiting. In the most extreme instance, they involve rape. A word of warning, this story contains material that may be offensive to some listeners. WAMU's Sarah Hughes reports.

Shootings in the District

While stories connected to gang activity often get a lot of media attention, the majority of the murders in the District go unnoticed outside the neighborhood where the tragedies occurred. It's true that killings often top the news. Just this week, two murders in Northwest, DC that ended in dramatic car crashes led to an outcry from city council members, who say the police have not been effective in stemming the tide of killings. But in some DC communities hit hard by the drug trade, residents say murders seldom get attention from the police or the media. WAMU's James Jones reports.

Virginia Sodomy Laws

Although Virginia lawmakers might prefer to focus on other topics, a recent Supreme Court ruling has put the state's Sodomy laws back on the agenda this session. In a ruling this summer, the court found a Texas law prohibiting Sodomy between consenting adults unconstitutional, making Virginia's Sodomy ban all but unenforceable. With the Supreme Court on their side, gay rights activists are lobbying with a renewed sense of optimism to have the law repealed. But as WAMU's Vince Pearson reports, many lawmakers disagree with the Court's decision and remain unwilling to concede defeat. We should note that this story contains material that may be offensive some listeners.

"After the Flood" at Rorschach Theatre

We focus now on a theatre in DC's Adams Morgan neighborhood that is trying to prove that puppet shows are not just for kids anymore. A group at the Rorschach Theatre is staging an original play incorporating a mix of human actors and Malaysian shadow puppets called "After the Flood". WAMU's Stephanie Kaye spoke with the author and Rorschach Theatre co-founder - Randy Baker, about the plot of the play.

"After the Flood" will be performed through February 7th at the Casa del Pueblo on Columbia Road in northwest Washington. For more information you can call 703-715-6707.

Crummy but Good

Here on Metro Connection, any time we mention a "best place" for Italian subs or a "best place" for crabcakes in the region, we inspire a fiery debate via e-mails, letters and phone calls. And today should be no different. Today it's all about...grits.

If you're a grit connoisseur, how do you know when you are in the presence of grit perfection? Well, you know it when you taste it. And our Crummy But Good Food Editor Donovan Kelly found it at DC's Florida Avenue Grill. For the uninitiated, Crummy But Good restaurants are places that might look a little sketchy on the OUTSIDE but offer great food on the inside. Donovan welcomed me to the Florida Avenue Grill just in time for a very late breakfast.

Theatre Review

"Meet Me in St. Louis" debuted in 1944 as a movie musical starring Judy Garland. The film was based on a family memoir by Sally Benson and had a musical score that featured songs like "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." In 1989, composers Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin and librettist Hugh Wheeler adapted their hit musical for the stage and now you can see it at Toby's, the dinner theatre of Columbia. Theatre critic Bari Biern grabbed the opportunity to escape to the turn of the last century, when no one worried about their cholesterol count and clean-cut fellows fell in love with the girl next door.

The production runs through February 8th. For more information, you can call 301-596-6161.